The present invention relates to a new and improved method and apparatus for forming integral spiral exterior ribbons along one-piece tube and/or tube multi-packs.
In the aforementioned parent patent application, a one-piece plastic tube is formed with separate compartments or passageways in order to accommodate descrete products or components in such compartments or passageways. In addition to providing separate compartments or passageways for the discrete products or components, the packaging tube must also be attractive and aesthetically pleasing. This has been achieved through a number of different modified shapes and designs in the one-piece plastic packaging tube. This has included compartments in a one-piece plastic tube with or without a separately attached spirally wound ribbon. In those cases where a spirally wound ribbon is not separately attached to the outer surface of the one-piece plastic tube, the tube can be formed with compartments such that when the tube is twisted, the compartments are formed in a spiral configuration throughout the length of the tube.
The present invention differs from the above designs and method of manufacture in that the one-piece plastic packaging tube has an integral inlayed spiral design provided on the external surface of the tube to create a "candy-cane" type image for aesthetic or marketing purposes. The integral inlayed spiral design formed on the exterior surface of the one-piece plastic tube is formed by the novel and unique method and apparatus which will be discussed in further detail below.